Search results (41)
« Back to NewsOxford and Thai Health Officials Sign Agreement on Infectious Disease Control
15 May 2025
On 13 May 2025, representatives from the University of Oxford and the Tak Provincial Public Health Office signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen collaboration on infectious disease prevention and control along the Thai–Myanmar border. The agreement focuses on joint research into key diseases affecting the border population.
Myanmar-Thailand: Healthcare access without barriers
14 January 2025
In Myanmar, the United Nations reports that 3 million people have been displaced due to the ongoing civil war. The 2021 coup intensified conflicts and worsened the humanitarian crisis, forcing at least a hundred thousand to seek refuge and medical care in Thailand. The Tak province, a key crossing point between the two countries, sees a rising number of new migrants (with 40% of women) crossing the border every day. In response to this health emergency caused by these large-scale forced displacements, the SMRU and M-FUND projects have concentrated their efforts along the border area.
Study finds methaemoglobin levels could predict malaria recurrence
26 November 2024
A new study has found methaemoglobin levels during treatment for vivax malaria could be used to predict whether a patient would have recurrent malaria.
Dialogue drama on adolescent pregnancy in a marginalised migrant population on the Thailand-Myanmar border
20 November 2024
A participatory-action approach involving community members and adolescents resulted in a dialogue-drama on adolescent pregnancy, contraception, and choice in the event of an unplanned pregnancy. The dialogue-drama augmented discussion of traditionally taboo issues and this ethnographic method is potentially useful for similar global health settings.
Visit MalariaWorld
24 July 2024
The Malariaworld exhibition was developed in conjunction with World Malaria Day 2024 to raise awareness of malaria and malaria research, and to highlight some of our contributions to malaria research. You can now visit our virtual exhibition!
New evidence supports higher dose antimalarial to combat relapsing malaria
26 September 2023
Analysis of data from more than 6,800 patients located across 16 countries has supported the need to increase the dose of the antimalarial drug, primaquine, in Plasmodium vivax malaria endemic countries.
Identifying factors for maternal and foetal mortality from malaria
31 August 2023
A study coordinated by NDM researchers published in BMC Medicine explores the factors predicting higher mortality in pregnant women with severe malaria and describes how severe falciparum malaria in pregnancy affects foetal health and mortality.
Are we getting tafenoquine dosing right?
6 December 2022
Researchers analysing clinical trial data for the new antimalarial drug tafenoquine find that higher doses are needed to cure reliably vivax malaria infection.
Meta-analysis informed the updated WHO guidelines for treatment of uncomplicated malaria in the first trimester of pregnancy
29 November 2022
A new WWARN meta-analysis, commissioned by the World Health Organization and which informed a change to its treatment guidelines, has been published in The Lancet. The study provides compelling evidence that artemether-lumefantrine should now replace quinine as the treatment of choice in the first trimester.
SMRU and BHF inaugurate new Admin Building
29 November 2022
Today saw the long-awaited grand opening of the new Shoklo Malaria Research Unit (SMRU) / Borderland Health Foundation (BHF) Admin Building in Mae Ramat, Thailand, near the Thai-Myanmar border. And, boy was it worth the wait! Years in the planning, the very impressive new Admin Building looked absolutely stunning, the siting and architecture being universally admired by the many guests.
Study shows clear link between antibiotic treatment and acquisition of AMR bacteria in children
19 October 2022
A study of the genetic diversity of Streptococcus pneumoniae, the bacterium responsible for hundreds of thousands of infant deaths each year, found that deep sequencing whole pneumococcal populations gave unsurpassed sensitivity for detecting multiple colonisations and was twice as effective at detecting invasive virulent strains of the bacteria as current best methods, say researchers in a study published in Nature Microbiology.
INTERBIO-21st study findings could help predict infants at risk of obesity
30 August 2022
Fetal abdomen growth and the mother’s blood fat metabolites very early in pregnancy influence a child’s weight, body fat, vision and neurodevelopment at 2 years of age
Field evaluation of EasyScan GO: a digital malaria microscopy device
28 June 2022
Microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained blood films is key to quantifying and detecting malaria parasites but there can be difficulties in ensuring both a high-quality manual reading and inter-reader reliability. The EasyScan GO was developed as a potential solution to this, a microscopy device using machine-learning-based image analysis for automated parasite detection and quantification.
Under the Mask, drama film based on testimonies of tuberculosis patients
24 March 2022
In 2022, tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global health problem, particularly in developing countries. On the Thai-Myanmar border, TB is an important problem among migrants, a vulnerable, very mobile population, with unstable, often difficult living conditions, insecure incomes, and poor access to health services.
Largest-ever IPD meta-analysis of malaria patients to inform haemoglobin changes
8 March 2022
A new malaria study using a very large analysis of pooled individual patient data (IPD) from more than 70,000 patients of all ages, has been published in BMC Medicine by the WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network Falciparum Haematology Study Group
All-nighter: staying up to fight malaria
24 November 2021
Featured in Nature, Victor Chaumeau collects mosquitoes in Myanmar to better understand how to control malaria.
Arjen Dondorp, Peter Horby and Rose McGready elected Academy of Medical Sciences Fellows
12 May 2021
"Although it is hard to look beyond the pandemic right now," says President of the Academy of Medical Sciences Professor Dame Anne Johnson, "I want to stress how important it is that the Academy Fellowship represents the widest diversity of biomedical and health sciences. The greatest health advances rely on the findings of many types of research, and on multidisciplinary teams and cross-sector and global collaboration."
Clare Ling awarded honorary FRCPath
23 November 2020
Dr Clare Ling has been made an honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists (FRCPath). Currently running Shoklo Malaria Research Unit (SMRU) Microbiology department and supporting the unit’s molecular activities, Clare is a clinical scientist who has worked at SMRU on the Thai-Myanmar border since 2012.
Life at the Thai-Myanmar border through the eyes of a frontline researcher
30 October 2020
Ethox programme REACH (Resilience, Empowerment and Advocacy in Women's and Children's Health Research) posted a visual research gallery as a Public Engagement project. Six galleries of photos by SMRU's Suphak Nosten depict aspects of migrant workers' daily lives: the Thai-Myanmar border; work; cultural and spiritual values; the often-difficult journeys seeking healthcare; striving for better; and dedicated frontline health workers. Richly coloured, sometimes personal, Suphak’s photography is deeply empathetic and memorable.
Oxford Global Research
23 October 2020
Oxford is world-famous for research excellence and home to some of the most talented people from across the globe. To showcase our global research, the University launched a Global Research Map, highlighting areas of research we are conducting overseas.
Why is WHO failing women with falciparum malaria in the first trimester of pregnancy?
6 March 2020
From The Lancet Correspondence. In the opening to the 2019 World Malaria Report, entitled Leaving no one behind in the march to a malaria free world, the WHO’s Director-General notes that the scourge of malaria continues to strike hardest against pregnant women and children in Africa.
Oxford Vice-Chancellor Louise Richardson visits MORU and SMRU
18 September 2019
MORU and SMRU were delighted and honoured to host the University of Oxford Vice-Chancellor Prof Louise Richardson and her party during her visit to Thailand on 1-4 September. Accompanying the Vice-Chancellor were Jeremy Woodall (Director of Development (Asia)), Frewyeni Kidane (Fundraiser for Southeast Asia), Cher Wu (Asia Development office) and Ed Gibbs (NDM Director of Finance and Operations).
Longer follow-up needed for malaria treatment in pregnant women
2 July 2019
New research by Makoto Saito and colleagues at SMRU found that a longer follow-up is required to assess antimalarial drug efficacy in pregnant women. This was found across all drugs assessed in low malaria transmission settings. The report’s authors have called for guidelines specifically for pregnant women and further investigation of optimal follow-up periods in high malaria transmission settings.
Bangkok Premiere of Under the Mask
4 June 2019
MORU, SMRU and FilmAid Foundation invite you to the Bangkok Premiere of Under the Mask on the 17th June. This drama film is based on real testimonies of TB patients. The story follows the lives of our characters as they journey from diagnosis to treatment and help from the SMRU TB team, and explores how each discovers their capacity to overcome the deadly disease and share their knowledge and experience with others. Made in the local language, this film provides an engaging and inspiring tool for raising TB awareness in the community.
Join SMRU for Hand Hygiene Day
10 May 2019
The 5th May is World Hand Hygiene Day. To raise awareness among staff and the Thai-Myanmar border populations of the importance of hand washing, a simple, proven effective way of infection prevention, the SMRU infection control committee worked with the SMRU clinics and Mae Sot lab staff to create this fantastic video.
Malaria’s ticking time bomb
26 July 2018
Scientists are racing to stamp out the disease in Southeast Asia before unstoppable strains spread. This article features MORU, SMRU and colleagues, and explains what is happening and what we are doing to eliminate drug-resistant malaria in Southeast Asia before it spreads
Professor Rose McGready recognised by the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene
19 June 2018
ASTMH nominated Professor Rose McGready, SMRU Deputy Director, as an Honorary International Fellow. Rose received the prestigious award in recognition of outstanding accomplishment by an “individual not an American citizen who has made eminent contributions to some phase of tropical medicine and hygiene”. Rose will formally receive her award at the ASTMH Annual Meeting, to be help 28 Oct-1 Nov in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Rose McGready awarded Alumni Award for Service to Humanity
22 May 2018
On 10 May 2018, SMRU Deputy Director Rose McGready was awarded the Alumni Award for Service to Humanity by the University of Sydney. The Alumni Award recognizes the personal contribution of alumni who, through service to philanthropy, improve the lives of those in need. It also seeks to recognize the significant involvement of Sydney alumni in projects that enrich local or international communities.
Getting rid of malaria possible, if we try something new, say experts
25 April 2018
The rapid elimination of potentially untreatable P. falciparum malaria in South-East Asia is possible, according to a ground-breaking new study published today in The Lancet. The study authors say that setting up community-based malaria clinics for early diagnosis, treatment and monitoring, combined with mass antimalarial drug administration (MDA) to everyone living in ‘hotspot’ areas.
Video: Mosquito wars
23 August 2017
In Southeast Asia, some types of the malaria parasite develop resistance to the drug combinations used to cure and prevent the disease. If this drug resistance spread to Africa, it’d be a disaster. Fortunately, partners on the front lines are finding ways to fight back. Watch this video about the amazing work our team of SMRU researchers is doing to combat drug resistance in Thailand.
Improved home designs may fight malaria in Africa
21 August 2017
Changing home designs and materials to make homes cooler and harder for mosquitoes to enter could reduce malaria transmission in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a new study in The Lancet Planetary Health.
First-trimester artemisinin derivatives and quinine treatments and the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes in Africa and Asia
19 June 2017
It has been maintained for decades that quinine is the safest drug for treatment of malaria in the first trimester of pregnancy. In the largest analysis of data from Thailand and Africa, artemisinins are reported to be at least as safe as quinine. This will simplify treatment protocols worldwide.
Rapid tests would improve malaria patients' lives - and be cost-effective
5 June 2017
5 June 2017, Bangkok (Thailand) – Doing a rapid test for G6PD deficiency before prescribing the antimalarial drug primaquine to P. vivax malaria patients could be a cost-effective way to improve thousands of lives, say researchers in a study published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Birth attendant training course may be global model for safer birth care in poor communities
18 October 2016
Training local Karen and Burman women as skilled birth attendants in refugee settings resulted in no adverse perinatal outcomes and many positive outcomes such as a drop in stillbirths and infant deaths and more babies being born in clinics rather than at home, says a new study published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE.
Growing failure of anti malaria drug treatment linked to parasite mutations
28 June 2016
The rapid decline in effectiveness of a widely used anti-malaria drug treatment on the Thailand-Myanmar border is linked to the increasing prevalence of specific mutations in the malaria parasite itself, according to a paper published in The Clinical infectious Disease Journal.
Artemisinins should replace quinine for first-trimester malaria treatment, says new study
11 February 2016
Artemisinins, the most effective antimalarials available, should be endorsed in the first trimester of pregnancy to ensure optimal treatment of falciparum malaria in pregnant women, reports a paper published today in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
Légion d’Honneur to François Nosten
6 January 2016
On 14 Dec, Mr Gilles Garachon, the French Ambassador to Thailand, arrived at Mae Sot in Thailand to present France’s highest award, l'Ordre National de la Légion d’honneur, to Professor François Nosten, Head of MORU’s Shoklo Malaria Research Unit (SMRU). The award is in recognition of Professsor Nosten's work over three decades fighting malaria.
How Drug-Resistant Parasites in Asia Could Lead to a Global Comeback for Malaria
27 December 2015
Although the Wang Pha clinic was established to treat malaria, it hasn't had a malaria case at all in several days. Now, patients come with other ailments or to visit the maternity ward. "When no one is worried, that's when we have to worry," said professor Francois Nosten, director of the Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, which includes Wang Pha and four other clinics along the Thai-Myanmar border.
SMRU: Preventing neural tube defects with folate supplements
11 November 2015
In the past few months, the Shoklo Malaria Research Unit (SMRU) has begun a campaign to make pregnant Karen women and their husbands aware of the importance of pre-conceptual folate to prevent neural tube defects in newborns.
Sara Canavati, Cameron Conway - Social Innovation award finalists
11 November 2015
Two MORU colleagues and friends have made the Social Media Awards: Malaria Heroes shortlist: Sara Canavati and Cameron Conway.